Police Guidance – cancard

Current as of 19th September 2025

POLICE GUIDANCE

what you need to know

Being in possession of a Cancard provides you – as the Police – with confidence that the patient has a proven medical condition which would qualify them for a prescription for Cannabis Based Medical Products. This could be in the form of oil, capsules, inhaler cartridges, oral spray, pills or dried cannabis flower including others.

There are currently 2 card designs in circulation. One is the original blue card, the other is the new and improved black and yellow card. Both are still in use depending on when the patient received their Cancard and should you have any concerns to its validity, please call us on 0333 443 4444.

If you are unaware of us or unsure of Cancard and what we do – although your force should have received training – you personally may not have been in that training session so please do call or email us for more information or to book yourself or you and your colleagues in for a short training session – support@cancard.co.uk or 0333 443 4433

Upon stopping a patient:

to verify that they are in possession of a genuine Cancard please call us on 0333 443 4444 anytime of the day or night.

You can also scan the QR code on the Cancard to verify an individual’s information is identical to their physical card.

There are obviously circumstances which would preclude the use of a Cancard i.e. being in possession of amounts greater than could be attributed to personal medicinal use, but in the event of a query, we are available 24/7 on 0333 443 4444.

Training:

A briefing from the National Police Chiefs Council can be found on your intranet. A vast number of Police Forces across the UK have been given specific training in the use of a Cancard. If you have any questions, we invite you to call us directly on 0333 443 4433 within office hours, or email us at support@cancard.co.uk.

If you are unsure as to the validity of the card you have been presented with in the event of a stop and search, we have a dedicated contact centre specifically for Police use and that number is printed on the Cancard itself. Just in case you can’t locate it, the number is 0333 443 4444.

If you believe that your constabulary has not yet received the Cancard training, please let us know and we will organise for that to happen.

Important:

A patient may have a Cancard as they are unable to afford a private prescription. Prescriptions are rarely available on the NHS and private prescriptions can cost as much as £1,500 per month.

As it stands, 98% of stop and searches when in possession of a Cancard result in NFA* *Figures from our national Cancard Call handlers, alongside prosecution information. Cancard Ltd 2022.